Vechta

Vechta grew beside a crossing of the marshy Moorbach on a north–south trade route. Its lordship passed to the bishopric of Münster in 1252, and the town became the seat of a bishop's official. A feud brought destruction by Oldenburg troops in 1538. Vechta was largely Lutheran from 1543 until the early seventeenth century, when Catholic institutions were restored. It suffered in the Thirty Years' War and remained under Swedish occupation until 1654. Franciscans established a monastery and Latin school here, while a major fire destroyed much of the town in 1684. The old castle was demolished in 1689, and a citadel took over its defensive role. Vechta passed to Oldenburg in 1803.